In many ways, Left 4 Dead 2 is just an incremental upgrade of its predecessor, but maybe that’s because the original game only needed a few additions to become something really special. Sure, it had new levels, the addition of melee weapons, better enemy AI, and more enemy types, but at a glance, it didn’t look much different from the original Left 4 Dead.Īnd in truth, some of those complaints weren’t exactly wrong. When Left 4 Dead 2 was first released, many fans bristled at the fact that it was coming just a year after the original game. But even after a decade of innovations that other developers could bring to the genre, its best version might still be Left 4 Dead 2 with a few minor upgrades. At E3 2021, and in the weeks after, studios and publishers have announced nearly half a dozen games inspired by Valve’s co-op shooter. Nearly 12 years after the release of Left 4 Dead 2, the genre it popularized has crossed back into the spotlight.
